Work-Life Balance and Occupational Stress: Moderating Factors Among African American Telecommunication Workers

After the COVID-19 pandemic, remote call center employees faced intensified challenges in maintaining work-life balance (WLB) while experiencing elevated occupational stress (OS) levels. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship between WLB and OS among African American (AA) call center professionals employed in the telecommunications industry, moderated by resilience (RS), gender, and generational age (GenAge). The theoretical framework included boundary theory, the job demands-control model, and resilience theory. The participants comprised 103 AA telecommunications call center professionals aged 28 to 65 in the southwestern United States. They completed the work-life balance scale, perceived occupational stress scale, and the brief resilience scale. The results of the multiple linear regression model significantly predicted occupational stress (OS), R² = .146. WLB significantly predicted OS, B = 0.304, SE = 0.082, β = .349, t = 3.70, p < .001, 95% CI [0.141, 0.467]. RS (p = .311), gender (p = .808), and GenAge (p = .182) were not significant predictors, as their confidence intervals included zero. These findings challenge conventional assumptions and highlight the complexity of these constructs among AA telecommunications workers. Understanding this relationship can help human resource professionals create culturally responsive strategies to address the specific needs of AA employees in telecommunication, which may enhance worker well-being and promote equity in occupational health outcomes. The implications for positive social change include the potential for telecommunications industry leaders to implement viable practices that mitigate OS and strengthen WLB to improve employee well-being.