Quiet coping and mental health disclosure among university employees in the Philippines

University employees may recognize work-related mental health strain but still be careful about making it visible at work. This qualitative grounded theory study examined how 10 employees in a Philippine public state university handled workplace disclosure when support, trust, and professional consequences felt uncertain. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were analyzed through systematic coding and constant comparison. Five interrelated themes were developed: recognizing mental health strain as part of academic work; appraising the professional risks of disclosure; testing relational safety through trusted colleagues; practicing quiet coping through limited visibility; and navigating unclear formal support pathways. The analysis presents quiet coping as a visibility-management strategy in which employees cope with mental health strain while regulating its audience, timing, degree, and professional meaning. Because the findings come from a small single-site sample, they should be interpreted cautiously. Even so, they suggest that employee mental health initiatives need clear confidential pathways and psychologically safer communication cultures, not awareness activities alone.