At some point in our careers, we all have to work with a coworker that we dislike and/or who dislike us. There's usually a number of reasons for this, but the first (and best) approach is to remember Hanlon's Razor - Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. It isn't always about what a particular person did - aggression at work is often an unfortunate outlet for other pent-up frustrations within.

Remain calm and consider the bigger picture. Chances are good that your coworker isn't gunning for you specifically. Has this person snapped at others? Is there a lot of stress going on at the business level? If this person is crabby with others, it's more likely that this person has other problems going on and the stress of handling them is leaking into your workplace interactions. In this situation, let the managers and leads take care of it.

If this person has specifically targeted you and has a history of doing so, the best course of action is to remain calm and put the shields up. Most bullies seek the reaction out of their victims. Don't give them the satisfaction. If you don't give a reaction, chances are good that a bully may escalate... but that also becomes public. Escalation of bullying in the workplace will generally not be tolerated and leaves a trail and can get the bully reprimanded or fired. However, you need to let the bully hang himself. If you react and fight back, you'll both get in trouble for escalating and arguing.

If the bully is "protected", i.e. he has a powerful person at the company covering for him (or is one himself) and he is specifically targeting you, then it may be time to look for a transfer to a different team or employer.

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