Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the emotional or affective mechanisms that underlie the relationship between employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employee attitudes and behaviors. Drawing on affective events theory (AET), this study examines a sequential mediation model in which CSR perceptions influence positive affect (PA) at work which leads to employee engagement in the creative process that, in turn, affects employee creative behaviors. Design/methodology/approach Two-wave data were collected from a sample of employees working in the telecommunication sector in Egypt (N=208). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The study found a positive association between CSR perceptions and employee creative behaviors. The results also showed that CSR perceptions have induced PA, which, in turn, led to greater level of engagement in the creative process and eventually led employees to exhibit creative behaviors. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to use AET as a conceptual framework to explain the positive association between CSR and employee positive work outcomes (i.e. creativity). By integrating AET with CSR and employee outcomes literatures, this study contributes to the available knowledge regarding the affective or emotional mechanisms through which CSR perceptions could affect employee work behaviors.