The purpose of this study was to develop a model to show how isolation from a leader can affect employee relationships and the perception of social loafing in virtual teams. This model, assessed through qualitative interviews with virtualteam employees, suggests that the effects of isolation vary from employee to employee based on the title, internal motivation, andsurrounding environment. However, this model predicts that these employees will not only worsen their relationships with theirteammates in the transition to a virtual setting, but they will also experience reduced relational closeness and increased uncertainty. These effects will cause employees to experience more work fatigue, put in less effort, and contribute fewer ideas (an increasein corresponding social loafing). Conversely, this research also proposes that companies are taking an increasingly active role inpreventing and solving these issues to hinder the spread of these effects. The implications of these phenomena are discussed inthis study.