diff --git a/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/etcd.go b/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/etcd.go
index 0e6cf5ea..cc077251 100644
--- a/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/etcd.go
+++ b/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/etcd.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package etcd
 
 import (
+	"cmp"
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
@@ -67,11 +68,11 @@ func (b *Backend) CreateWorkflowInstance(ctx context.Context, instance *workflow
 			Metadata:         attrs.Metadata,
 			State:            core.WorkflowInstanceStateActive,
 		}),
-		b.store.PendingEvent.Put(&pending_event.Value{
-			WorkflowInstanceID:  instance.InstanceID,
-			WorkflowExecutionID: instance.ExecutionID,
-			Event:               event,
-		}),
+		b.store.PendingEvent.Put(pending_event.NewValue(
+			instance.InstanceID,
+			instance.ExecutionID,
+			event,
+		)),
 		b.store.WorkflowQueueItem.Put(&workflow_queue_item.Value{
 			WorkflowInstance: instance,
 			CreatedAt:        time.Now(),
@@ -103,11 +104,11 @@ func (b *Backend) CancelWorkflowInstance(ctx context.Context, instance *workflow
 	}
 
 	err = b.store.PendingEvent.
-		Create(&pending_event.Value{
-			WorkflowInstanceID:  instance.InstanceID,
-			WorkflowExecutionID: instance.ExecutionID,
-			Event:               cancelEvent,
-		}).
+		Create(pending_event.NewValue(
+			instance.InstanceID,
+			instance.ExecutionID,
+			cancelEvent,
+		)).
 		Exec(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create pending event: %w", err)
@@ -219,11 +220,11 @@ func (b *Backend) SignalWorkflow(ctx context.Context, instanceID string, event *
 		}
 		executionID := instance.WorkflowInstance.ExecutionID
 		err = b.store.PendingEvent.
-			Create(&pending_event.Value{
-				WorkflowInstanceID:  instanceID,
-				WorkflowExecutionID: executionID,
-				Event:               event,
-			}).
+			Create(pending_event.NewValue(
+				instanceID,
+				executionID,
+				event,
+			)).
 			Exec(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to signal workflow: %w", err)
@@ -461,11 +462,11 @@ func (b *Backend) CompleteWorkflowTask(
 	}
 	for _, event := range timerEvents {
 		ops = append(ops,
-			b.store.PendingEvent.Create(&pending_event.Value{
-				WorkflowInstanceID:  instanceID,
-				WorkflowExecutionID: executionID,
-				Event:               event,
-			}),
+			b.store.PendingEvent.Create(pending_event.NewValue(
+				instanceID,
+				executionID,
+				event,
+			)),
 		)
 	}
 	groupedEvents := history.EventsByWorkflowInstance(workflowEvents)
@@ -487,10 +488,10 @@ func (b *Backend) CompleteWorkflowTask(
 			if exists {
 				ops = append(ops,
 					b.store.PendingEvent.
-						Create(&pending_event.Value{
-							WorkflowInstanceID:  instanceID,
-							WorkflowExecutionID: executionID,
-							Event: history.NewPendingEvent(
+						Create(pending_event.NewValue(
+							instanceID,
+							executionID,
+							history.NewPendingEvent(
 								time.Now(),
 								history.EventType_SubWorkflowFailed,
 								map[string]any{
@@ -498,7 +499,7 @@ func (b *Backend) CompleteWorkflowTask(
 								},
 								history.ScheduleEventID(first.WorkflowInstance.ParentEventID),
 							),
-						}),
+						)),
 				)
 				continue
 			}
@@ -524,11 +525,11 @@ func (b *Backend) CompleteWorkflowTask(
 
 		for _, event := range events {
 			ops = append(ops,
-				b.store.PendingEvent.Create(&pending_event.Value{
-					WorkflowInstanceID:  targetInstance.InstanceID,
-					WorkflowExecutionID: targetInstance.ExecutionID,
-					Event:               event.HistoryEvent,
-				}),
+				b.store.PendingEvent.Create(pending_event.NewValue(
+					targetInstance.InstanceID,
+					targetInstance.ExecutionID,
+					event.HistoryEvent,
+				)),
 			)
 		}
 	}
@@ -699,11 +700,11 @@ func (b *Backend) CompleteActivityTask(ctx context.Context, task *backend.Activi
 			task.WorkflowInstance.InstanceID,
 			task.Event.ID,
 		),
-		b.store.PendingEvent.Create(&pending_event.Value{
-			WorkflowInstanceID:  task.WorkflowInstance.InstanceID,
-			WorkflowExecutionID: task.WorkflowInstance.ExecutionID,
-			Event:               result,
-		}),
+		b.store.PendingEvent.Create(pending_event.NewValue(
+			task.WorkflowInstance.InstanceID,
+			task.WorkflowInstance.ExecutionID,
+			result,
+		)),
 	).Commit(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to persist activity completion: %w", err)
@@ -796,13 +797,11 @@ func (b *Backend) FeatureSupported(feature backend.Feature) bool {
 
 func sortPendingEvents(events []*pending_event.Value) {
 	slices.SortStableFunc(events, func(a *pending_event.Value, b *pending_event.Value) int {
-		switch {
-		case a.Event.Timestamp.Before(b.Event.Timestamp):
-			return -1
-		case b.Event.Timestamp.Before(a.Event.Timestamp):
-			return 1
-		default:
-			return 0
+		if a.CreatedAt > 0 && b.CreatedAt > 0 {
+			return cmp.Compare(a.CreatedAt, b.CreatedAt)
 		}
+
+		// Fallback to using the event timestamp for backwards compatibility.
+		return a.Event.Timestamp.Compare(b.Event.Timestamp)
 	})
 }
diff --git a/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/pending_event/store.go b/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/pending_event/store.go
index 671afe53..b01955e4 100644
--- a/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/pending_event/store.go
+++ b/server/internal/workflows/backend/etcd/pending_event/store.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package pending_event
 
 import (
+	"time"
+
 	"github.com/cschleiden/go-workflows/backend/history"
 	clientv3 "go.etcd.io/etcd/client/v3"
 
@@ -12,6 +14,20 @@ type Value struct {
 	WorkflowInstanceID  string         `json:"workflow_instance_id"`
 	WorkflowExecutionID string         `json:"workflow_execution_id"`
 	Event               *history.Event `json:"event"`
+	CreatedAt           int64          `json:"created_at"`
+}
+
+func NewValue(
+	workflowInstanceID string,
+	workflowExecutionID string,
+	event *history.Event,
+) *Value {
+	return &Value{
+		WorkflowInstanceID:  workflowInstanceID,
+		WorkflowExecutionID: workflowExecutionID,
+		Event:               event,
+		CreatedAt:           time.Now().UnixMicro(),
+	}
 }
 
 type Store struct {