SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new survey of U.S. knowledge workers from Funmentum Labs has flipped the script on what makes a meeting great: it’s not preparation, not productivity, and not even purpose. It’s energy — and more than half of employees say shared laughter and spontaneous creativity are the fastest way to get it back.
When asked to rank the top qualities of an “excellent” meeting, employees prioritized energy, placing “energizing” above even productivity, purpose, and engagement. The data reveals a workplace in a full-on energy recession, and meetings are ground zero. Key findings reveal:
- Only one in three employees say their meetings are excellent
- Less than half (47%) say work meetings make them feel energized
- 37% feel joyless and drained, blaming too many meetings that go nowhere
- Just 39 percent of employees find their meetings memorable — and government, healthcare, and manufacturing workers rated theirs the worst
- 53% say shared laughter gives them the most energy at work
- 52% say spontaneous creativity or humor is the fastest way to re-energize teams
“Funware was built for every team stuck in meetings that drain more than they deliver,” said Mark Halvorson, co-founder and CEO of Funmentum Labs. “Energy is the new KPI, and Funware brings it back to meetings so people leave feeling better than when they walked in.”
Introducing Funware™: Meetings People Actually Want to Attend
To address the problem, Funmentum Labs today launched Funware™, an AI-powered facilitation platform designed to bring energy and momentum back to the workplace.
Funware acts like a built-in meeting facilitator and activity designer for Zoom. With one click, it transforms any meeting, from a brainstorm to a daily check-in, into a structured, engaging session with clear outcomes and zero prep. Key features include:
- AI concierge matches your specific meeting goal with the perfect team activity to play together instantly
- One-click meeting activities keep participants engaged and aligned
- AI personalization tailors each session to team goals
- Automatic recaps deliver highlights and next steps instantly
- AI “guests” spark ideas and break the ice
- Emoji “head nods” make virtual collaboration feel more human
Funware comes with 25+ proven team activities and is the first platform to offer custom activity design for unique team challenges. You just schedule the meeting and Funware runs it.
“Funware helped my corporate clients reframe team meetings as something to look forward to — not another drain on the calendar. It’s rare to hear laughter and focus at the same time, but Funware’s AI unlocks this dynamic for any team,” said Jeremy Utley, Stanford d.school Professor and AI Expert.
The Energy Crisis Behind the Culture Crisis
The survey highlights a major disconnect between leaders and non-leaders when it comes to meetings. While 43% of directors and above say their meetings are excellent, only 24% of individual contributors agree. Teams are overloaded with tools yet running low on energy, often relying on a few “natural energy” coworkers to carry the room, especially in industries like finance, insurance and real estate — a model that’s not sustainable.
Why It Matters Now
Return-to-office mandates have not fixed culture. Project management tools have not restored trust. AI has automated tasks but has not improved the human experience of work.
Funware offers a new approach. It makes meetings something people want to attend and ensures real work gets done.
“Most tools promise productivity. Funware enables better chemistry,” said Kenny White, co-founder of Funmentum Labs. “Funware is designed to break the ‘Groundhog Day’ cycle and restore the energy that drives real outcomes.”
According to the survey, when asked to describe the soundtrack of their workday, employees’ top response was: “Groundhog Day — same scene, same song, every. single. day.”
Try it or learn more at https://funware.ai
About the Survey
The Workplace Energy Audit was commissioned by Funmentum Labs to measure energy, engagement, and connection in the workplace. The 2025 audit surveyed 655 U.S. knowledge workers at companies with 20 or more employees and was fielded from July 18 to 24, 2025 by market research firm Researchscape.
About Funmentum Labs
Funmentum Labs was founded by a team of comedians turned collaboration designers. After years of facilitating creative sessions for Fortune 500 companies, they realized what most meeting tools were missing: momentum, humanity, and a little bit of joy. Today, Funmentum blends the science of play, the structure of facilitation, and the power of AI to help teams move faster by working better together. Its flagship product, Funware™, turns meetings into energizing, outcome-driven experiences—proving that fun is not a distraction, it is the strategy. Visit: https://funware.ai
Media Contact:
Juliet Travis
Liftoff Communications
juliet@liftoffcommunications.com
