The Double-edged Sword Effect of Work Pressure on Employee Creativity from the Perspective of EAP

Abstract

In recent years, scholars have shifted their research on factors affecting employee creativity from individual factors to work situation factors. Work pressure acts as an important situational factor in employees' daily work and life. It has no consistent conclusion on whether work pressure has a positive or negative impact on employees' creativity. The study explored the mediating effect of job engagement on the relationship between challenge-obstructive pressure and employee creativity based on the job request-resource theory and further explored the moderating effect of EAP (Employee Assistance Plan) based on the social information processing theory. The following conclusions were drawn by statistical analysis of 368 questionnaires: (1) challenging pressure has a significant positive effect on employees' creativity, while obstructive pressure has a significant negative effect on employees' creativity. (2) Job involvement has a completely mediating effect between the challenge-obstructive pressure and employees' creativity. (3) EAP negatively and positively regulates the effect of challenging and obstructive pressures on job involvement separately. The related management enlightenment was proposed from the perspective of practice