Jessica Alba's The Honest Company grants a 16-week paid maternity leave to its employees

Jessica Alba's The Honest Company will offer paid parental leave starting next year. Mothers would be entitled to 16 weeks maternity leave and fathers could access leave for 8 weeks. Paternity leave also comes with another 8-week extension without pay.

Jessica Alba, the 34-year-old actress and businesswoman announced in the recent Dreamforce Conference in San Francisco that The Honest Company will be providing paid maternity leave for 16 weeks. Fathers too will be granted paternity leave for 8 weeks and could be extended to another 8 unpaid weeks. It will be implemented in 2016, E Online reported.

Alba discussed the challenges moms are facing in their careers in the Dreamforce Women's Leadership Summit in San Francisco. She gave emphasis why she hires them and why they will be given an equal pay. "I love when we hire people who are parents because I know they are going to multitask," Alba said in the conference cited on NBC.

The Hollywood Reporter specified the company offers an above average parental benefit. The news affirmed the Department of Labor says only 12% of the workers in private companies were given paid parental leave.

The Family and Medical Leave Act also implies that companies of such size must only offer 12 weeks unpaid parental leave. Moreover, the employers have the right to decide on paying for leave of absences.

The company had been valued $1B this year. Jessica Alba co-founded The Honest Company with Sean Kane, Brian Lee and Christopher Gavigan. It provides non-toxic household goods. The act reflects the company's vision to protect families; to keep them healthy and satisfied.

Equally, when parents receive support from their work, they will less likely quit their jobs. In line with that, paid maternity leave could raise women workforce as it becomes easy for them to go back to work after delivering a child.