Not a 'team player ' what can I do?

[Boxingshibes]

Just had my end of year review and apparently I'm not a 'team player' so have been marked down for 1 objective. I've got exceeded expectations on the others.
I'm annoyed and frustrated with the mark down and confused as to how to improve this.
I work as a trainer at a training company.
I'm the only person who teaches this particular course, though I do teach other courses that other trainers do in my team. Because of this 90% of my time is teaching this course. It's a 5 day course from 9-5 either in companies so lots of travel or online.
All the other trainers teach 2 or 3 day courses so have time to interact with each other. I genuinely don't have time.
Apparently I'm too independent, don't need much help but am well liked and willing to help others.
How do I become more of a team player?

I’d ask them why they say you’re willing to help others but contradict it with saying you’re not a team player

I think you need to ask how to make this objective more specific. Set a SMART objective for it. I think they'll struggle because it sounds like bullshit. Please tell me it's not some awful thing about not going to after work drinks or having lunch with others (especially since you're not there).

The only thing my manager managed to come up with was he struggled to get hold of me once on teams to sign a retirement card and had to msg me on my mobile! I was in the wilds of Wales with no WiFi onsite teaching a course so didn't see his teams message.

That would pee me right off - signing a card is not a function of your work, nice though it is. Plus I live in Wales and much as I love my nation, mobile phone reception is NOT one of our strong points outside of the cities and towns!

I am actually quite annoyed on your behalf!

It's a question for whoever gave you the eval. They might have been pressured to find something in need of improvement for each eval or something. But yeah, the excuse doesn't sound good - your follow up question then needs to be 'can you prove that this constitutes an actual issue, and if so how can it be improved'.

Sounds ridiculous. Ask for clear feedback on how you can be judged to achieve this target/objective/KPI. Sounds like your manager is very wooly and just thought that they'd put this so that so you had something as a development point. Ensure that there is a performance type measure for it. That way you will you know, and your manager will know that at your next review you have 'made progress' and now meet the criteria. Good luck. Take no shit!!

@Arlanymor thank you!
I'm also annoyed as I get a number of trainers who observe me with no notice or no idea who they are! I had 3 last week. I only had 9 students so ranted to my manager. All he could say was as I was so good at what I was doing others wanted to observe me! Arghh

I'd ask in writing for the evidence of not being a team player and how that could have been dealt with differently. And I'd appeal the decision to mark me down on that once I got it.

@Boxingshibes Honestly, I am really vexed! And you have to love his backhanded compliment don't you!? Give me his number - I am currently in a part of Wales WITH mobile reception - I'll give him a piece of my mind! 😂

@Boxingshibes you should challenge this, I'm fuming on your behalf.

I have had the experience of some total nonsense like this. It was part of a bigger picture - I'm sure some other posters will have heard of this. Basically appraisals etc were set so that nobody could get a top score. I think at one point it was part of an HR trend.

So I went into mine and the only criticism was that I didn't know enough about one of the company's many projects. It wasn't my project. It wasn't linked to my projects. When pressed, they said that when I had been asked a question about details of the project, I had referred the querant onto the relevant team. Which of course I would do, what would be the point in talking to me about it? Or anyone else not working on that particular project?!

When I walked out of that meeting, I was really quite stunned. Then I found out all sorts of shit directives that had come from the top to ensure that nobody got the top score.

Anyway, there were loads of complaints from people about their own appraisals. When I went back in for the follow-up, they found a graceful way to say it was all a load of bollocks. And scores were recalibrated across the whole company.

I also asked them to put it in writing. (This was negated when I found out the bigger picture).

They do have to think more carefully about what they're doing when it's written down.

Being unable to get hold of someone to sign a card is not something that should even be part of any workplace evaluation!

Yanbu the chuffing cheek of him you aren't a team player because he couldn't get hold of you once about a retirement card. Surely he has a manager too, I'd be going above his head and making a complaint about him for marking you down for something so trivial and irrelevant to your work.

@Boxingshibes your manager sounds hopeless. How can you be ‘too independent’?! And what does that even mean? I get it if you’re an ineffective worker who refuses to interact so and learn with others but as you yourself said you have evidence of others wanting to observe and learn from you! Also it’s v bad appraisal practice to leave you confused. Your manager shouldn’t be marking you down for supposedly not meeting objectives without giving clear instruction or examples of what you should have done and need to be doing to achieve the missed marking in future. His card example is just nuts - unless he’s saying as long as in future you’re available to sign cards then you’ll meet it just from that?! 🤦🏻‍♀️Also, is there not something in writing you could check to cross reference against his markings?

I agree with others it’s really frustrating to read of your experience!

@Boxingshibes and another thing (sorry I feel quite ranty with the memories)

They're accusing you of being too independent. That's absolutely nuts. It reeks of a manager who has no idea how to do a review. What are you supposed to do, pretend that you can't do something so that somebody gets the satisfaction of helping you?

There was a 'buddy' who did my unique course and had been doing it for 15 years who was amazing. He helped me out, mentored and supported me but he left 6 months ago. I'm now doing all the courses I'm booked till jan . My manager also complained that I haven't booked holiday. I told him that I'm booked up and who would cover my course he didn't know! Also I had to ask not to travel 3 weeks ago as I'd badly sprained my ankle and had to take a weeks holiday!!
I love the actual training but ....

Ffs shouldn’t the fact you’re delaying taking leave to cover training which otherwise wouldn’t get done be an example that you very much ARE a team player! I so wanna give your manager a kick up the bum! He’s annoying me more than my own line manager - and she’s very annoying! 😅

@Boxingshibes you took annual leave instead of sick leave?

and he's complaining about you taking annual leave generally? He sounds like a total muppet.

Even though I am ft. I apparently needed to take holiday so they could get in a freelance trainer to cover me. He was vague about full pay for illness. I'm the sole earner for my family so couldn't risk it.
It's a weird outfit as so much praise for sales but v little recognition for us poor buggers who are actually doing the training. Without us they would have nothing!!
It's good ish pay and I wfh 2 weeks a month then travel for 2 weeks. Travel/ hotel/food paid for. It suits me and to be honest not that difficult.
I have 20 years experience in what I'm teaching and hopefully can coast for the next 15 years till I retire.