The Effect of Technostress on Employee Performance: The Mediating Role of Anxiety among Generation Z in the Creative Industry

Abstract

The development of digital technology in the workplace has increased workers' dependence on technological systems, which has the potential to cause technostress, especially in the dynamic, digital-based creative industry sector. This study aims to analyze the effect of technostress on performance with anxiety as a mediating variable among Generation Z workers in the creative industry in Surabaya. The study uses a quantitative approach with a survey method involving 100 respondents selected through a non-probability sampling technique. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).The research results show that technostress has a positive and significant effect on anxiety, anxiety has a significant effect on performance, and anxiety is proven to partially mediate the relationship between technostress and performance. These findings indicate that technological pressure not only directly affects performance but also through employees' psychological conditions. This study provides empirical contributions to the study of technostress in the context of the creative industry and emphasizes the importance of managing employees' mental health in facing digital transformation in the workplace