The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and intensified social inequalities, particularly within organizations. Employees with low socioeconomic status (SES) are often marginalized, despite having unique creative potential. These employees, shaped by experiences of resource scarcity, can offer resourceful perspectives that could drive organizational creativity if recognized and utilized. Meanwhile, existing research on the creativity gap between high and low SES groups has primarily focused on objective factors, while psychological factors—more adaptable and influential—have received less attention. In response to these gaps, we propose that SES influences employee creativity through work stress, with mindfulness serving as a moderating factor. A two multi-wave study with 323 samples was conducted in China provided empirical support for our hypotheses. The results indicate that lower SES is associated with higher work stress, which negatively impacts creative performance. However, mindfulness was found to buffer this effect, enhancing creativity among lower SES employees by reducing stress. These findings contribute to the literature by elucidating the mechanisms through which SES affects creativity and by highlighting the role of mindfulness in mitigating the negative effects of low SES on creative performance. The study offers practical implications for sustainable human resource management practices, particularly in addressing class-based inequality and promoting mindfulness interventions to foster creativity across diverse employee groups.
