To have not told them I was pregnant?

[whatcomesnextisbeautiful]

Offered a job this week (currently unemployed due to previous redundancy). I'm 8 weeks pregnant, but I didn't disclose being pregnant as I'm pretty desperate for the work/money given the imminent and significant change in circumstances upcoming.

I probably ABU but can I get in trouble? Let go when I tell them?

Legally no they can’t specifically let you go because you’re pregnant. But in practice, some (bad) employers still will and it’s easy for them to avoid stating pregnancy as the reason as brand new employee, in probation etc they can let you go without a reason really

As you’re only 8 weeks, you don’t need to tell them anything. Most people wait until they’re 12 weeks anyway.

They can get rid of you at any time during your probation period, whether you’re pregnant or not.

Congratulations on both the job and pregnancy.

As others have said, they can’t legally get rid of you for being pregnant, but they can easily nitpick and get rid of you through probation. I would absolutely not tell them until absolutely necessary. Legally you don’t have to tell them until 25 weeks, but other than working remotely I can’t imagine how you can possibly get away with it that long! Besides if your probationary period is 6 months then you’d still be in probation when you need to tell them anyway. You could also be seen as dishonest if you wait too long.

The only thing you can do really is keep your head down, work hard, give them a reason to want you back after maternity ends, and then tell them when you’ve got a good relationship with your manager. The exception might be if you find yourself poorly with pregnancy related illness. If you don’t tell them you’re pregnant and take loads of time off they will terminate your probation because of your absences, but if they know you’re pregnant they should discount any pregnancy related sickness in making decisions about your absences. In this case it would be best to declare it earlier rather than later.

I understand, I just wondered if it'd be significantly frowned upon when I do tell them, as I'm sure they'll realise that I likely knew when accepting the job.