Quality of Life and Creativity Performance Amidst the Pandemic: Evidence From Thailand and Bangladesh

This study investigates COVID-19’s impact on quality of life (COVID-19 QoL) via its effect on employee creativity performance in Thailand and Bangladesh, drawing on Terror Management Theory. Data were collected from 491 full-time employees (Thailand: 208; Bangladesh: 283). A positive relationship was found between the creative environment and employee’s creativity performance (β = .308, p < .01). In addition, COVID-19 QoL exerted a negative moderating effect on the relationship between the creative environment and employee’s creativity performance (β = −.092, p < .05), but this effect varied between Thailand and Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, COVID-19 QoL amplified the negative impact on creativity performance, whereas in Thailand, no such effect was found; instead, it was positively related to creativity. Thailand’s collectivist and feminine orientation transforms existential threat into positive creative engagement, while Bangladesh’s hierarchical and masculine orientation channels it into conformity and inhibition, explaining the divergent outcomes between the two nations. These findings highlight how cultivating a creative environment can enhance creativity performance, while also emphasizing the importance of considering employees’ quality of life and cultural context during crises.