Balancing Workload and Well-Being: The Influence of Teacher Utilization Practices on Teacher Welfare in Nakuru East Sub-County, Kenya

This study examined teacher utilization practices and their influence on teacher welfare in public and private primary schools in Nakuru East Sub-County, Kenya.Guided by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, and the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study adopted a descriptive research design.Data were collected from 430 teachers through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Findings revealed that teachers were deployed across diverse roles extending beyond classroom instruction.The highest involvement was reported in academic assessment (95.5%, M = 4.11, SD = 0.861), parental engagement programs (98.2%, M = 4.08, SD = 0.816), and extracurricular activities (95.7%, M = 3.97, SD = 0.845).Teachers also reported substantial participation in career coaching (95.1%, M = 3.81, SD = 0.838), school clubs (94.5%, M = 3.81, SD = 0.876), and administrative duties (89.8%,M = 3.77, SD = 0.963).Direct instructional work remained central, with 88.6% acknowledging regular classroom teaching hours (M = 3.64, SD = 0.865).However, supportive practices were less consistently embedded: only 84.6% were engaged in mentorship programs (M = 3.39, SD = 0.911), 81.4% in peer collaboration (M = 3.27, SD = 0.923), and 77.4% in learner counselling (M = 3.21, SD = 0.970).The study concludes that while teachers are effectively utilized in core and co-curricular functions, workload imbalances and gaps in mentorship and collaboration limit holistic professional support.It recommends institutionalizing structured mentorship, peer collaboration, and counselling systems to complement existing roles.